


Do you know what I'm seeing?

by Artificial Pichitinha (Pichitinha)



Category: RuPaul's Drag Race RPF
Genre: Alternate Universe - Teachers, F/F, Fluff and Humor, Lesbian AU, Violet's POV, girl au, if you're looking for that you've come to the wrong fic my friend!, it's a whole thing ok it's just supposed to be a funny little one-shot or sth IDK, pearlet is a ship in this but it's not a pearled fic yk, so fame appears a bit and so do kim and bob and pearl is mentioned a few times, this does not contain any violet and katya as a couple
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-02-21
Updated: 2019-02-21
Packaged: 2019-11-01 14:30:12
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 7,871
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17869010
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Pichitinha/pseuds/Artificial%20Pichitinha
Summary: So Violet's always aware of anything that's happening in school, always knows when a rule is about to be created or when a student will have their parents called in or when a teacher is in trouble. Nothing escapes Violet's radar.Needless to say, then, she's extremely affronted when Mrs. Zamo is introduced to them on a Wednesday afternoon as the new gymnastics instructor and takes everyone by surprise.Or the one where Violet does not like not knowing things.





	Do you know what I'm seeing?

**Author's Note:**

> ok people's so this is............ something. i'm gonna let you read it and figure out by yourselves but it's (allegedly) a cute and funny fic told by violet's pov (yes i did that can you believe) and well i hope you'll like it. as usual this was proofread by the most wonderful [conny](http://connyhascontrol.tumblr.com), thank you so much babe, and i also got feedback on my violet characterisation from [becks](https://lesbianpearliaison.tumblr.com/) who is a resident expert on it, thank you so much for taking the time and being so awesome!
> 
> the title is from a (everyone pretend to be shocked) [panic at the disco song](https://open.spotify.com/track/4lUE5P7odHgfWk87tKGrj3?si=CmtkSyjZTUKZEuteippMPA) and the lyrics do not relate to the story At All but it's a good song and that's that

Violet Chachki is not one for gossip - or so she'd say to everyone, as she gossips. She thinks it's important that as a select group of teachers at a high prestige school they all keep informed about what's been going on with the faculty. Any slips could cause issues for their reputation - it has before - and Violet likes earning more money than she should because the school is fancy and has lots of  _ friendly parents _ , as she likes to call them.

So Violet's always aware of anything that's happening in school, always knows when a rule is about to be created or when a student will have their parents called in or when a teacher is in trouble. Nothing escapes Violet's radar.

Needless to say, then, she's extremely affronted when  _ Mrs. Zamo _ is introduced to them on a Wednesday afternoon as the new gymnastics instructor and takes everyone by surprise.

She's a short caucasian woman with light blonde hair that falls in straight locks but curves a little bit at the end, framing her face in a really flattering way that highlights her sharp cheekbones and the bright red lipstick she's wearing. She's lean and has an amazing posture, but that's the least that Violet would expect from a gymnastics teacher.

Violet's wary.

She doesn't like the mysterious vibe the woman gives off, doesn't understand why no one knew she was coming to work there until the exact moment she walked into the door. Something's up and Violet can smell it.

The last person to join the team before Mrs. Zamo had been Mrs. Mattel, the music teacher. That had been a proper hiring at the beginning of the school year and she had started work on a Monday morning like one should and Violet had been aware of her coming two weeks prior, enough time for her to manage gathering a few facts about her from the school director: that she'd been a music teacher before, had a theatre degree from a fancy school and that she was married but had no children.

Albeit not a lot to know about a person, but more than she currently does about  _ Zamo _ which is really pissing her off.

She tunes back to reality when she realizes that the Dean Mrs. Charles is walking towards her with Mrs. Zamo close behind. "Oh, and Miss Chachki- Violet! This is Katya, Katya this is Violet." She introduces them briefly, but leaves no time for them to shake hands or properly meet. "Violet, please give Katya a tour? Show her how the three main rooms she'll be using for her classes work, please. Alyssa is late again and I can't afford to wait." And with that she leaves, doesn't say goodbye or even acknowledge them, but raises her head in a dignified way that’s supposed to leave them impressed - and usually they make fun of.

"Katya, is it? Weird name."

People tend to tell Violet she can be rude sometimes, what they don't know is that it's on purpose.

Katya smiles though, doesn't seem to mind. "Yeah, it's Russian."

"Are you Russian?!" That's the type of thing Violet  _ should have already known! _ She's entirely too uncomfortable at the moment, knowing as much about the woman as she does about her.

"Born and raised. Until the age of five, that is.” She laughs a little at that but Violet just blinks. “Then I moved to Boston, as you can probably tell."

She does have a Bostonian accent and she seems pretty keen on sharing details of her life, so maybe Violet won't have such a hard time - Trixie, for example, is a  _ problem _ , Violet's barely learned anything about her in the two months she's been working there.

"Well, Katya from Russia, follow me."

Violet really hopes she manages to learn more about the new teacher as she gives her a tour. She is, after all, the informal information resource of the faculty.

*

"Have you met her yet? She's super weird," Violet tells Fame as they're walking into the teacher's lounge after the morning classes. "Morning, Trixie." She greets nonchalantly and sits down at the nearest table, far from where Trixie's eating at the other side of the room - right under the air-conditioning which is why Violet avoids it at all times.

"Morning," Trixie greets back, eyebrows a little raised but Violet brings her attention back to Fame. Reading Trixie is too hard and Violet's given up not long after she first started trying.

"No, I just saw her in the morning when Mrs. Charles was introducing her. She looks nice though," Fame replies as she sits down next to Violet, nods quickly at Trixie as well.

"I mean, I guess.” She does look nice, but Violet is more interested in whether or not she’ll act nice at school. “And she's really pretty," she adds because it’s true and because as bad as it is the board prouds themselves on the appearance of the faculty.

Trixie sits up straighter and Violet sees it from the corner of her eyes but ignores it. Truth be told she finds Trixie a bit weird.

"She's married though," Fame reminds Violet as if that’s what Violet was going for.

"Aren't they all?" she jokes back, knows Fame knows her better than that.

Trixie’s fork clatters on the table. “Sorry!” she exclaims when both of them look at her.

Fame looks back to Violet and then raises her eyebrows, “Wait,  _ you _ are engaged, actually.”

Violet scoffs, now annoyed. “I’m  _ not  _ because-” she looks around and when she does so Trixie averts her gaze, previously clearly paying attention to them. She lowers her voice just in case, “I’m not because Pearl’s a fucking chicken, I’ve seen her take the damn ring box to our dates three times and she never asks!”

Violet is not in any hurry to get married, but if Pearl is going to ask then she could just  _ ask already _ , pretending not to know is killing her.

“Did you know chickens are actually really brave?” Fame asks instead of offering any advice on Violet’s relationship. She has that look on her face she gets when she’s talking about something she finds exciting and Violet sighs even if she smiles a bit.

Fame is also a bit weird.

“I do - in fact I know way more about chickens than I ever thought I would or find necessary. Thank you for that.”

“Well-” Fame is interrupted midway when the door opens and in come Katya and Alyssa, now finally together, as it is common in the school that the dance and the gymnastics teachers follow each other’s class plan. Katya looks comfortable already, maybe a bit tired, but that’s just what spending time with Alyssa does.

“Hey, girls! Any seat for me?” Alyssa asks loudly already pulling up the last chair on their small table and sitting down by Violet’s side. Katya just stands there, food in hand, her gaze moving from their table with no extra seats to Trixie, who is sitting by herself and has two spots available.

“Do you want to sit here?” Trixie eventually asks, offers her a warm smile, and Katya smiles right back before nodding to them and moving over there.

Something is…  _ off _ . Katya seems like a very extroverted and friendly person, it doesn’t really fit with that image to want to sit alone with the quiet girl on the other side of the room instead of sitting with the majority of the girls. And yet she goes with a smile and seems happy about it. She sits down in the chair nearest to Trixie as opposed to the one in front of her and they soon start talking.

Violet doesn’t think she’s ever seen Trixie chat so freely with anyone who isn’t Kim - and Kim had been her friend  _ before _ she joined the team, she recommended her to the position. Between everyone else she’s probably closest to Bob, but she didn’t warm up to her this fast.

What is going on?

“Maybe we should all sit together,” she says out loud and Trixie and Katya look at her. “We all want to get to know Katya and it wouldn’t hurt to know a bit more about Trixie, right?”

Katya and Trixie exchange a brief look that Violet can’t decipher from where she is, but she’s determined to learn more and she won’t back down.

“Yeah, come on, let’s move to the bigger table,” Alyssa decides for them, loud and decisive as usual. They all join her at the communal table in the middle of the room, Katya and Trixie still side by side, opposite Violet and Fame.

Perfect. Now Violet just needs to figure what and how to ask things that will give her the most information.

“So, Katya-” she directs her gaze at her and Katya just raises her eyebrows. People usually shy away from Violet’s scrutinizing gaze, but not her. It feels like a challenge, almost. “Are you married?”

Katya just raises her left hand and wriggles her fingers, showcasing the wedding band. “Yep.”

Usually when she asks that people say a little bit more than  _ yes _ or  _ no _ . She asked Trixie when she started working there and she’d said  _ yes, about two years now _ . She waits for Katya to elaborate or say anything else but she just starts eating again.

“Has it been long?” Violet tries to never seem like she’s prying, the questions have to be perfectly crafted so that she can receive more than what she’s asking and so it doesn’t look like she was too curious.

Especially because it isn’t  _ curiosity _ . It’s  _ caution _ .

“We’ve been together for several years, yes.” That’s not what Violet asked, but it is a piece of information nonetheless. “How about you? Married?”

It takes Violet by surprise, people don’t usually ask her stuff back. Trixie coughs by Katya’s side.

“I- no. Not married.”

“Weren’t you engaged?” Alyssa asks then and they all look at her with raised eyebrows, even Fame who’d just asked this.

How is she the center of this, now? “Uh, nope. Just dating.”

“And you, Fame? Married?” Katya asks shifting her attention before Violet has a chance to think of what else to ask and Violet is not sure how but she completely lost control of the conversation. Suddenly Fame is talking about her wife and her dogs and then Alyssa is talking about the last date she went on and Katya hasn’t said anything else about herself - and neither has Trixie, for that matter.

They do chime in in whatever everyone else is saying and the good side of it all is that they don’t bat an eye at Fame having a  _ wife _ instead of a husband - not homophobic, or at least not blatantly so, - but Violet doesn’t find a breach to ask anything about them that wouldn’t make her look nosy so she just accepts it. It’s not a wasted lunch because she finds them funny and pleasant and Katya fits right in with the rest of them, but still she hasn’t learned enough.

She’s gonna have to keep trying.

*

Thing is, Violet does what she does because she cares. They'd had not one but two incidents in the past regarding personal scandals on the faculty and they'd lost several of the important parents’ donations in both. One had been an affair between a teacher and a (married) parent, the other had been an affair between two (married) teachers which would have been less bad except they later learned that the two were also stealing money from the school.

Violet has been working there for years - she  _ studied _ at one of the siblings schools, prides herself on the place more than she cares to admit. Yes, it is a bit posh and considerably overpriced, but they do the best they can with the children, teach them the most, give them attention, affection, discipline. There are five schools in the group in a range of three cities and maybe Violet didn't study at that particular one because it’s new, but she was there when it opened, had been one of their first hirings and she's so proud of herself for it. She wants this school to be the best. She wants to give to those children what she felt as a kid - her teachers were much more than that, and that's what she wants to be.

So when she pries on the new staff, it's for their own protection. People who are too secretive usually have something to hide and it churns Violet's stomach to imagine that. What could they be hiding? A murder? Maybe that’s a stretch but Violet can't absolutely say they aren't.

Plus all the nagging usually leads to them all being friends and that's a good thing. Making friends as an adult is hard, so when you get along with your colleagues enough that it migrates to that - that's lucky, right? Fame is easily one of her closest friends and that had happened by Violet asking so much about her life that one day they just  _ were _ good friends.

Violet spends the entirety of Katya's first week there observing and trying to steal quick conversations here and there so that it doesn’t look like much. She doesn't learn a lot, but she gathers a few facts - most of them a lot less useful than expected.

Katya wears a silver wedding band because it turns out she's allergic to gold - which, by the way, is a very rare allergy.

Katya does speak Russian fluently but she's actually much better in French - which she used to teach before deciding that she liked teaching gymnastics more and switched completely.

Katya does not have any kids and doesn’t know if she ever will, she has a niece and a nephew and she's content with them.

That’s pretty much all she’s actually  _ said _ about herself, other than comments on books she’s read or movies she’s watched.

Violet learns a few things by observation, though.

Katya most likely used to smoke and quit recently because sometimes her fingers itch just like Pearl’s did when she quit.

Katya  _ really _ likes coffee.

Katya gets to school  _ on foot _ .

Obviously the last one is the one that nags at Violet’s mind. Katya arrives at school ten minutes before the first class every day and she always does so  _ walking _ . She's always well dressed and wearing heels and Violet could even be willing to accept that she might take the bus because "it's better for the environment" or whatever some people would say, except she always walks in from the left side of the school and the only bus stop near them is on the  _ right  _ side.

When Violet asks Katya if she lives nearby, Katya denies.

Violet doesn't like this. She likes Katya, she's a fun new addition and all the teachers seem to find her funny and pleasant, but once Violet realizes the walking thing… there’s just no logical explanation to it and it’s not like walking in heels to school from  _ not _ nearby means she’s a serial killer, but it means  _ something _ .

"Good morning," Violet greets everyone when she enters the teacher's lounge the following Monday and they all say it back in their own time. To her surprise Katya is already there, even though it's still twenty minutes until the first bell. That's a change of events and Violet is even more curious now.

Katya is sitting with Bob and Trixie and the three seem very engrossed in the conversation. She grabs a cup of coffee and joins them without a second thought.

"Good morning, ladies. What are we discussing?" She finds that bluntness usually works well with her personality and people tend to find it charming.

"How the three of us hate the California weather." Trixie replies and Violet is  _ delighted _ by that. Trixie is still someone Violet needs to learn a lot about and she seems to be more present recently so Violet is eager to do that too.

"Where are you guys from, again?"

"Wisconsin-"

"Boston!"

"Good old New York City."

They reply all at once.

"Oh, right. You guys probably like snow." She wrinkles her nose, she hates the cold weather. But if they do hate California then that’s just another thing to add to her list - why do they live there?

"Where are you from, Violet?" Trixie asks genuinely interested.

"Atlanta."

"Oof," they all exclaim.

She laughs. "Hey, it's a great place okay!" Or at least twelve-year-old Violet thought so before they moved to LA where she’s been living ever since.

Bob laughs, "If you say so, girl."

For the remaining of their time before class they just discuss their childhood and Violet doesn’t ask anymore important questions about the girls - not Bob, she's known her for two years and she's solid.

She forgets to ask why Katya got there so early.

*

Katya is there early every day after that and Violet almost forgets her suspicions, except now she's already there when Violet arrives so she doesn't  _ know  _ if she's still walking. When she recounts this to Pearl one night after work, Pearl tells her that she's crazy and should stop worrying so much about other people's lives - sometimes they're just private and that's okay.

When Violet tries to argue, Pearl asks how many people at work know that the person she's dating is a woman. She claims that it's different, she has no obligation to come out, and Pearl just points out that she's right and maybe the teachers that won't share much just feel the same way about whatever it is they're not telling.

Violet hates that she's right.

That Friday instead of leaving early as she often does since she doesn’t have the last class, Violet decides to stay and finish some grading in the teacher’s lounge where it’ll be empty and quiet and she can probably finish it faster. She doesn't really notice when the last bell rings, so absorbed into the paper she’s reading, and she's surprised when the door opens and in come Trixie and Katya, laughing loudly at each other. They stop in their tracks when they notice Violet inside, laughter dying down awkwardly as they move to their lockers. Violet can see that Trixie has a faint blush on her cheeks and it's definitely not her makeup.

_ Huh _ .

"Hey, Vi," Trixie calls out as she picks up her stuff. "Working late today?"

"Yeah..." she replies, eyebrows raised. "Had to catch up on a few assignments and since I don't have this class I just figured it was the best time to do so."

"Right," Trixie agrees, clearly uncomfortable. Just then Kim and Bob walk in and greet them and Trixie takes the cue to wish them a good weekend before leaving, Katya not far behind with similar words.

Violet isn't saying there's something there.

But there's something there.

"Don't you think Trixie is a little weird?" she asks out loud once Trixie has left.

Kim just stares at her for a second before going back to her locker. "I think Trixie is  _ very _ weird, but also you know she's my best friend, so I'm allowed to think that, you aren't."

This could have turned into a very unpleasant situation, but thankfully Bob laughs and the vibe in the room follows hers.

"She's just private, you need to get through the shell," Bob provides as she once again searches her entire closet for something which is most likely not in it. She does this every time.

"I've been trying!" And she  _ has _ , Violet only stopped snooping on Bob six months after she joined, there’s still a long way for Trixie before Violet can fully trust her.

"Not like you're a PI!” Bob laughs. “Just talk to her like you talk to us."

Violet scrunches her eyebrows. A  _ PI _ ? Really? " _ What _ ?"

"Most of the time you're fine, but sometimes it seems like you’re interrogating people,” Kim tries to explain.

“Sometimes it’s not even that bad, but it definitely feels like an interview at least,” Bob says.

“Yeah,” Kim agrees. “And people like Trixie don't really like that. I know you worry about the school, but I promise you, Trixie is cool and a good person. Don't worry so much and try to get to know her. If you got past Max then you can get past anyone."

Violet chuckles. "God, you're right, Max was a work of her own." Max was a shell within a box within a locked chest and Violet managed to get to know her before she moved to the east coast. So yeah, no one can be harder.

"Anyway, I'm not interested in overtime today. Have a good weekend!" Kim says as she leaves and Violet just stays in there as every teacher comes back and exits with a goodbye.

Maybe she should try to worry less - problem is it’s easier said than done.

*

Violet would love not to worry because she trusts Kim and if Kim vouches for Trixie, fine. But no one is vouching for Katya and she and Trixie seem to get along way too well, which is extremely surprising to Violet - how did Katya manage to get close to her so fast and also how did Trixie out of all of them manage to be the first to befriend Katya?

Violet starts to notice how they seem to always exchange words when they bump into each other in the hall, and almost always sit together during lunch, even though usually not by themselves. It's been a few weeks since Katya arrived and they already act closer than Trixie and Kim and that's something that puts Violet on alert again.

Sure, she’s managed to learn more about them in the time that’s passed, even if she can’t possibly ask everything she wants - she knows where the caution ends and her own curiosity starts and she never crosses the line. Getting to know your colleagues happens slowly but surely either way, and so far she’s listened to Trixie play guitar and learned that Katya lived in Europe for a while, for example.

They’re all adjusting as a group, even having gone out together for drinks one day. There Violet couldn’t help but notice how Trixie was opening up more and more recently, which is somewhat suspicious, and mainly she noticed that Katya knew what drinks Trixie likes and vice-versa.

She would  _ love _ to let it go but there’s just something that doesn’t add up.

On the following Wednesday she spends most of her lunch time paying attention to them to see if anything can be learned by observation. At some point someone asks her something and she gets distracted and when she looks up again she can’t find them. Probably back to class early to set things up.

She finishes her food and excuses herself with a few minutes to spare before the bell rings and she has to go to her next class, goes quickly to the bathroom to use the loo and check herself in the mirror one more time before the rest of the day.

When she opens the door the scare on the two people inside is almost palpable. Katya is leaning her back on the sink and Trixie is close to her, her right hand on Katya’s face, her thumb brushing over her upper lip where Violet can see her lipstick is a bit smeared. Their faces are turned towards her, eyes wide like deer caught in headlights, and Violet's brain can't come up with an explanation for that on the spot, but it feels like she should.

For seconds none of them move, but then as soon as she takes another step inside the two of them break further apart with Trixie taking a step back.

"Yeah, you were right, this lipstick will definitely need makeup remover to be fixed." Trixie says with a concentrated face. "Maybe I have makeup wipes in my purse, I'll go check." And with that she's gone, Katya still leaning on the sink and looking at Violet. She blinks twice.

"Uh..." Violet murmurs because she's not sure what to say. What just happened?

"Forgot I had this stupid lipstick on and cleaned my mouth with my hand. It smeared a bit but now it won't come off."

"Oh. Well, I definitely have makeup wipes if Trixie doesn't have them," she offers because it's true and because that’s happened to her many times before, which is precisely why she carries wipes. It could make sense, if not for the way they’d been positioned and how surprised they looked when they saw her, but Violet just feels too stunned to properly deduce things.

"Oh, thanks! She probably has them, but if not I'll let you know."

"Okay." How would she know Trixie has them?

"Okay."

Violet uses the loo and leaves before Trixie is back, Katya still inside waiting, acting nonchalantly.

This is starting to become  _ too  _ suspicious.

*

Violet tells Pearl about the encounter but Pearl just brushes her off saying that Violet is probably just reading too much into it because she convinced herself that something’s up. That could be true so Violet promises that she will let it go once she figures out if Katya still walks to work from the left side of the street and if so why. That’s the one piece of mystery she wants to solve before giving up, and Pearl thinks she's crazy but still suggests she get there early the following day anyway just so she can get this out of the way.

Violet arrives way earlier than usual and takes a seat in the teacher's lounge right by the window above the parking lot. She's getting ahead on some tests she has to prepare, but she keeps glancing outside as her eyes catch movement and she spots Bob's car as the first one to arrive.

It doesn't take long for Trixie's car to find its way into the space and Violet is almost turning back to her computer when she sees both the driver and the passenger door opening when she parks. Out of the passenger seat comes Katya, and together they both walk towards the building, it looks like they're laughing.

Oh my god.

Is Violet an idiot? How did she not connect the dots?

Are they having an affair?

No, no, no, no, no, this is the worst possible scenario, the school cannot handle another affair scandal, especially a lesbian one - if Violet has any chance of ever coming out at work this will ruin it, straight people tend to associate the behavior of one bad gay with all of them and this can't happen. Fame is all of the outed quota they have and that’s because she’d been clear about being married to a woman before she was hired - but with this Violet isn’t sure even Fame wouldn’t see some consequences.

But it's so obvious now that Violet thinks about it that she feels stupid for not noticing before. The lipstick thing in the bathroom? They were probably kissing  _ right in there _ where  _ anyone _ could catch them. Not only are they cheating on their husbands and breaking the school policies, but they're being  _ dumb _ about it.

And that explains how they know each other's coffee style, their drink preference, why they seem to always be together, why Trixie started opening up after Katya joined.

They had hugged very intimately before leaving the bar the other night. Thinking now Violet can't remember if she ever saw them leaving - did they leave  _ together _ ?

They are jeopardizing Violet's future here and she will not stand for it.

The two of them enter the room with a cheerful good morning and Violet is the only one that doesn't reply, but they don't notice, each heading to their locker to store their purses.

Violet is so mad she can't even fake a happy face. She forces her eyes away from them and stares at Kim's back from where she's sat - she said she could trust Trixie, that she was a good person. Well, Violet is gonna enjoy breaking the news to her.

Alyssa asks her if she's fine once she notices how Violet is burning holes into the walls, but Violet plays it off as a striking headache. It works because the news spread fast and no one bothers her that day, not even her students who can see she's in a bad mood and don't want to be in the line of fire.

Violet has to be smart about this. She needs to have evidence, she can't just barge into the Dean's office and tell her that it's happening without proof.

She needs to catch them in the act. If she’s lucky they’ll continue to be irresponsible and that will happen sooner rather than later.

*

“So, Fame.” Violet does her best so that most girls are sat together for lunch the following day. “Have you ever been cheated on?” Out of the corner of her eyes she observes Trixie and Katya, but they give no reaction at all at the mention of cheating. Violet thought they’d be worse at this.

Fame however reacts properly and just stares at her, eyebrows high on her forehead. “Excuse me?”

“Cheated on? Has someone ever cheated on you?”

Everyone is paying attention now, Violet knows she sounds very blunt, but she doesn’t care.

“Uh, no? At least not that I know of?”

“Cool,” she replies. “And have you ever cheated?”

“What? Of course not.”

“Hm. Anyone has ever been cheated on?” she addresses the table.

Katya seems worried. “Violet, is everything okay in your relationship?”

Violet is  _ outraged _ at this. She has the  _ audacity _ to ask Violet about  _ her _ relationship. She even looks genuinely worried and for a moment Violet is reminded that she really liked Katya and instead of anger, for a split second, she’s just disappointed. She expected more from her.

She’s back to anger in no time though when Trixie, right by her side, raises her eyebrows in worry as well.

Violet  _ trusted _ them. Unbelievable. They are putting the jobs of everyone at the table at risk and they act as if everything is fine.

Not on Violet’s watch.

“Everything is wonderful in my relationship, Katya, thank you for asking.”

She just shares a glance with Trixie which just makes Violet fume more. “Okay-”

“How about you, though? Everything fine in yours? Have you ever been cheated on? Or have you ever cheated?”

“Uh…” she seems stunned but to be fair so does everyone else. Now they all look worried about Violet - she’s always composed and assertive, this frenzy is very unlike her. “Yes. I mean, yes, everything is fine, we’re doing great. And no, I don’t think anyone’s ever cheated on me, and I’ve never cheated on anyone.”

Violet actually  _ chuckles _ because she can’t believe her straight face. “ _ Right _ ,” she comments as she goes back to her food.

“What does that mean?” Katya asks back and Violet doesn’t miss the way her voice is changed. By her side Trixie looks utterly confused.

“Nothing,” Violet replies, almost biting her own tongue. She can’t make a scene without proof, she needs to  _ wait _ . She’s too stressed about this and isn’t acting properly.

“No, that didn’t sound like nothing.”

“Maybe we shouldn’t do this now-” Bob starts suggesting, but now Katya isn’t having it. She looks offended and Violet wants to know where she learned to act so well.

“No, I’m sorry, Violet was clearly implying something and I want to know what, because I’m not comfortable with this.”

Violet shrugs. “I didn’t mean anything, I just thought it was curious.”

“ _ What _ was curious exactly?”

Violet really doesn’t want to do this now, but she realizes she’s made the situation and the blood in her veins is too hot to leave it be now.

She can’t outright accuse them, though, that would get  _ her _ fired.

“I don’t know. Would have figured otherwise.” She keeps it vague - not completely, she does imply that Katya was lying somewhere in there and they all would look back, but she doesn’t outright say  _ I know you’re screwing Trixie _ . She does give Trixie a quick side glance which she knows they both noticed.

Katya gets the closest to mad that Violet thinks she can. “You don’t know me, Violet.”

“Clearly not.”

Katya moves suddenly, Violet sees the motion as if she’s gonna push away from the table and leave, but Trixie holds her arm.

“I think you’re crossing some boundaries here, Violet.” Trixie says, her hand still resting on Katya’s arm who looks like she’d like to yell a bit. Trixie still looks more confused than anything else.

“Yeah,  _ I’m _ the one crossing boundaries.”

“Okay, that’s enough,” Bob gets up and her height over them casts a sense of authority hard to argue with. “Katya, maybe you should get some fresh air. Violet-”

“I’ll stay here and finish my lunch, thank you.” Violet cuts her off.

There’s tension for a moment, but then Katya gets up and Trixie does so too, right after her, both heading for the exit.

“Off they go,” Violet murmurs and no one says anything, but Kim makes a face and just stares at her for more seconds than it should feel comfortable.

Maybe Violet will have to take the issue to the Dean without proof afterall.

*

Violet muses about it for the rest of her classes. She’s certain of one thing only: the parents of this school will definitely not have it if word of a lesbian affair between two married teachers came out and she knows it could have consequences for the school in general and for the staff - she thinks that maybe Fame would be the first one to feel it, knows some nasty parents who’d request for her to be immediately cut together with Trixie and Katya regardless of the fact that she’s got nothing to do with them.

Therefore she knows she must act and she must do it soon, but she also knows the obstacles. For one she really shouldn’t accuse anyone of anything without proof, as the chances are it would backfire and she would be the one taking the blow for it, so she really should think very carefully about how to do it, if at all, with the knowledge she has now. Secondly, Katya had a point earlier at lunch: Violet doesn’t know her - or Trixie. Not a lot, anyway. Who is she to point fingers when she doesn’t know their private lives, what they’ve got with their husbands? Violet doesn’t believe in cheating in any situation, but she can’t judge and she certainly understands some women are in complicated situations - especially if, as it looks like, they have to pretend to be straight for whatever reason.

So Violet doesn’t want to ruin their careers - or their lives, but she doesn’t think she’d have the power anyway - she just wants them far away from her school. She doesn’t want problems, that’s all.

Maybe she  _ should _ talk to the Dean, then. With them there. Be friendly. It would be a lesser risk for her as well.

She’ll visit the Dean once the last bell rings, depending on her mood she’ll either tell her right then or else ask for a meeting the next day and invite Trixie and Katya. She has no intentions of maintaining the friendship - maybe she shouldn’t judge but she sure as hell doesn’t want friends that will behave like that - but keeping professional appearances is important and she figures it’ll be better if they’re there to speak for themselves. It’s fair, right?

She doesn’t see them in the teacher’s lounge when the last class is dismissed and she also doesn’t miss the looks that the other teachers give her.

“You ok?” Fame asks quietly, away from everyone else.

“Yeah, I was hot headed. I’m gonna handle it now, calmly.”

“Handle what, exactly?” It’s clear Fame doesn’t want to judge but she’s concerned for Violet.

“Don’t worry about it. Gotta go, I want to catch Dean Charles.”

“Violet!” Kim yells when she’s at the door.

“What?”

“Can I talk to you-”

“I need to talk with the Dean before she leaves, can it wait?”

Kim stops then, her eyebrows raise and Violet may be mistaken but it looks like her lips turn up into a small smile.

“Oh. Go ahead then, not urgent.”

Violet is probably crazy but it sounds like Kim is laughing as she closes the door.

She power walks to the Dean’s office, really wants to catch her today and address this as soon as possible - the more she waits the riskier it’ll be for them. She knocks twice and as per convention after a few seconds she opens it and glances inside.

Trixie and Katya are there, in front of the Dean.

“Oh,” is all she manages to say, confused. Are they turning themselves in? Were they caught?

They can’t be trying to say anything bad about her, can they?

“Oh, Miss Chachki. Please come in, I’m glad you’re here.” Dean Charles points to a third chair by Trixie’s side and she walks in silence to sit down. She has no idea what is happening, but they all seem to be way too calm for any scandal to have been brought up.

“Everything okay, Mrs. Charles?” she feels like she has to ask because things can’t be okay, can they? If they’ve come clean that she should not be as composed as she is - they should have been fired.

“Yes, of course." She stops for a few seconds, contemplates what to say next. Then she nods her head ever so lightly in a way they usually find snobbish and funny, but Violet doesn't react. "I’m afraid I told you a small lie at a point and it’s lead to... some issues.”

“I haven’t done anyth-”

“Don’t worry, Violet, you’ve done nothing and you’re not in trouble. I know you like to know about the school affairs and the staff, and that you take care of everyone and that’s very admirable.”

“Thank you, ma’am.”

“But, you see, there’s one detail you didn’t pick up on and we failed to tell the staff because it’s a situation we haven’t had so far and we weren’t sure how everyone would react.”

“Okay,” she agrees with a questioning tone, not sure what exactly to ask. Why are Trixie and Katya there? What is everyone hiding? Why is Violet not aware of what’s going on- when did she lose her unofficial post of information holder? She looks at Trixie and Katya and they both look way too calm for Violet to be comfortable. “Can I be put in the loop, please?”

“We’re married, Violet,” Trixie says holding her gaze.

“I know.” What are they on about? That is the whole problem.

Katya chuckles. “No, you don’t get it.  _ We _ are married,” she points between her and Trixie. “To each other.”

If there was a bucket of icy water dropping on top of Violet’s head now she would feel exactly as she feels right now.

_ What _ ?

“What?!”

“As you know it’s against the rules for two employees to engage in a romantic relationship, but we’ve never had precedents of hiring two people already engaged in it. Katya is extremely qualified and we didn’t want to waste this opportunity, but we thought best to not disclose it. Maybe we should have considered that it would be a hard secret to keep.” Mrs. Charles doesn’t seem to notice that Violet is only half listening, still too stunned by what she heard.

“How can you be married? Don’t you have a husband?” Katya’s talked about him a few times - vaguely, but surely.

“I  _ definitely  _ don’t.” Katya says amusedly, eyebrows raised as if the thought is wild and funny. Violet would find it relatable if she weren’t where she is now, confused. “I’m quite sure I never used anything other than “my partner” or “they” when speaking about Trixie as my spouse.”

It’s true, she has. Violet thought it weird at first but reminded herself that not everyone is gay and she shouldn’t just assume everyone she meets was.

“But, Tom…”

“What about him?” Trixie asks now, equally confused.

“I thought Tom was your husband?”

They both laugh but try to stop it quickly.

“Tom is our cat,” Trixie explains trying to maintain a straight face. Then she turns to Katya, “Oh my god, what did you say about Tom that could possibly apply to a cat and a human?”

“I have no idea!”

“She said Tom was waiting for her to have dinner,” Violet explains and against everything she thinks she is, she starts to blush.

They are married. To each other. For one, they aren’t cheaters. And most importantly, they’re gay.

And she assumed the worst and was ready to try and get them fired.

“Very well. Now that things are settled, I must be off. I’ll hold a meeting tomorrow and we’ll tell the rest of the staff so we avoid further issues.”

As they leave Mrs. Charles’ room and stand in the hallway watching her leave, Violet searches for the right word. She’s not usually wrong and she doesn’t care for it.

“I- I don’t know what to say, I’m so sorry. I thought you were having an affair - I thought you were  _ straight _ , oh my god.”

“I do find the latter much more offensive,” Katya jokes and Violet laughs. “Not that there’s anything wrong with that, of course.” Katya adds as a second thought, her expression changes.

“Oh! I suppose not, though I wouldn’t know. I have a girlfriend.”

“This is the gayest school in the district, then?”

She smiles. “Apparently."

They stand there for several seconds, almost a perfect triangle, feelings rather awkward - or at least Violet is, for sure.

"Well-" Katya starts as she shifts her weight from one foot to the other, possible eager to leave. This is too quick for Violet to properly understand how she feels, but she knows she's far from where she was that morning.

"I gotta say I’m really relieved. I like you guys, I was worried.”

“We’re glad.” Trixie smiles and then she offers her hand to Katya who takes it without a thought.

Now with clear eyes and knowing the situation, Violet takes a second to look at the image. They’re cute. They look happy.

“See you tomorrow?” Katya says as they start walking.

“See you.” She waves them off.

They walk away laughing, hand in hand, and it dawns on Violet that now she has more reinforcement and allies in the school.

She can't wait to tell Pearl - although she's not excited to let her know she was right all along.

*

When Kim greets her the next day, she realizes that she likely already knew. Kim is Trixie's best friend, has known her for years. She was probably at their wedding.

"You were gonna let me play the fool, huh?" she whispers in lieu of hello, sitting by her side at the table so they'll be private.

Kim just smirks. "I was gonna tell you, but I knew they were in the Dean's office. Thought it would be more fun to let you go in there and sort it out."

"I hate you," she jokes and Kim just shrugs. "You knew all along."

"I did. It wasn't my secret to tell, though."

Violet admires her loyalty and she thinks she would have done the same in Kim's place.

"You even knew Katya was gonna start teaching here beforehand, didn't you? You probably know her patronymic name!"

Kim smiles into her cup of coffee. "I do and it's hideous. Not telling you, though."

She huffs as she grabs a cup of coffee, wondering how things are gonna go today, when the door opens and in walk Katya and Trixie.

Their hands are intertwined.

At first she thinks no one is going to notice as they really aren't paying attention, but then Alyssa stops talking in the middle of her sentence and everyone turns to where she's looking.

"Oh," some of them murmur, gasp even.

Violet smirks into her cup. She's back to knowing more than everyone. She loves this feeling.

"Everyone," Mrs. Charles calls from the door and everyone sort of gets up quickly as if they should, even though she could not look more uninterested if she tried. "They are married, the school board knows, you should not worry about it being against the rules as it is not." She announces without caution, doesn't even step inside. "I hope no one has any issues?" She's asking but as usual doesn't leave time for actual responses. "Great. If anyone's missing, please let them know."

And with that she's off, Katya and Trixie standing between the door and the tables they're all sitting around, all eyes on them.

Violet has to admit that was super awkward and seemingly unnecessary, if not for the fact that people would assume it to be against the rules.

"That makes a whole lot of sense actually-"

"Should've seen it coming-"

"Wait, who are they?"

Violet can hear all the comments as the two of them approach their table, visibly looking much more relaxed than usual. Violet figures they must have had a weight on their shoulders every day with that secret and she can't imagine how good they must be feeling now.

"Good morning,"

"Morning," Kim says. "Did Violet make an idiot of herself yesterday?"

Violet puffs. "I did  _ not _ , thank you very much."

And just as Kim opens her mouth to proceed, the rest of the girls approach them.

Fame has her arms open and she pulls Trixie under one and Katya under the other. "Oh my god, I am so happy about this, you guys."

Everyone who was out of the loop starts talking and asking questions and Violet just sits back and watches it unfold. She's happy too, as it turns out. They are good people and they look like they make a good pair.

"Don't think I don't see that new ring on your finger," Kim murmurs to her while people are still focused on Trixie and Katya.

Violet smiles widely and looks down to her left hand. Pearl had been so ecstatic by the turn of events that she'd finally proposed last night.

"I'll announce it later, I don't wanna steal the spotlight."

"That's a first," Kim chuckles.

The rest of the day unfolds much like any other, everyone getting used to the idea of them being together really quick, and maybe Violet could consider admitting that there's more to people than we sometimes assume. She’d been so scared of a scandal just twenty-four hours ago and now everything is just normal as it is every day.

As Trixie and Katya are leaving, now apparently always holding hands, they bid her goodbye.

"Congrats on the engagement!" Katya yells from the other side of the corridor. "Being gay married is amazing, you're gonna love it!"

Trixie just waves and Violet smiles looking down to her hand again.

If the examples she has are anything to go by, she has no doubt she will.

**Author's Note:**

> a patronymic name is "a name derived from the name of a father or ancestor, typically by the addition of a prefix or suffix" much like "petrovna" and violet knows about it bc she obviously googled All Things Russia as soon as she learned about katya being from there ¯\\_(ツ)_/¯  
> but anyhoo, how was the reading? pls do let me know in the comments bc i am still not sure of what exactly i wrote - also feel free to send me an ask on tumblr about it, i am @[pichitinha](http://pichitinha.tumblr.com) over there. also make sure to visit my profile, maybe something in there will interest you too! thank you for reading <3


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